Slate-ruler



(No Model.) 2 Sheet-Sheet 2.

' O. SOHALLER.

SLATE RULER Patented Mar. 23, 1897.

v 0175 $51 zi-s Wanna/13s awue/wtoz 7907112 ZZer.

NITED TATES orro sormtnnn, on OKAWVILLE, ILLINOIS.

SLATE-RULER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 57 9,183, dated March23, 1897.

Application filed September 8, 1896. Serial No. 605,157. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OTTO SOHALLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Okawville, in the county of Washington and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSlate-Rulers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming apart hereof.

My invention has relation to improvements in slate-rulers; and itconsists in the novel arrangement and combination of parts more fullyset forth in the specification and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a folding slate with theleaves thereof open and showing my improved ruler attached to one of theleaves. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the ruler detached, showing oneof the securing-bands removed. Fig. 3 is a plan of a single slate withthe ruler removed therefrom. Fig. 4 is a sectional detail on the line 00a: of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a similar sectional detail of a modified form offrame, and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one end of the grooved platecarried by the opposite members of the frame of the slate.

The object of my invention is to construct a combined ruler and slate inwhich the ruler can be conveniently and temporarily attached to theslate-frame, so that the scholar can at any time detach the same and useit for ruling lines on the writing-surface of the slate, the latterbeing provided with suitable means whereby the child is enabled to ruleseries of. parallel lines both rapidly and with precision, the rulebeing provided with suitable devices whereby it is guided along theframe in the process of drawing said lines, and whereby it is set inposition while each line is being drawn, the said devices also servingas means for partially securing the ruler to the slate when the ruler isnot in use. To this end I have devised a ruler and slate which in detailcan be described as follows:

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the writing-surface of anordinary either single or folding slate, and 2 the frame,within whichthe slate proper is mounted. Embedded in or carried by the lateralmembers of the frame and flush with the surfaces of said members are(preferably) metallic plates 3, each provided with a medial longitudinaldepression or guide-groove 4, the said grooves being parallel to oneanother, a series of openings 5 being formed along the base of eachgroove,

the spacing between the openings being the same on each side of theframe. The openings 5 communicate with a series of depressions 6, formedin the wooden members of the frame, in which the said plates areembedded. The plates 3 are secured to the frame by means of the prongsor deflected ends 7, driven into the wood of the frame, as best seen insection in Fig. 4. The openings 5 are in the path of the transverseparallel guidelines 8, nu1nbered consecutively from 1 upward, the lineon one side of the frame being a continuation of the corresponding lineon the opposite side. Formed also in one of the plates 3, exterior tothe groove 4 and adjacent to the outer edge of the frame, are openings9, communicating with depressions 10 of the frame,

the distance between the said openings 9' be ing equal to the shortestdistance between the grooves 4, that is to say, equal to the length of aline perpendicular to said parallel grooves 4.

Into the openings 9 and communicating depressions 10 are adapted to beinserted the projecting pegs 11, carried along one of the longitudinaledges of the ruler 12, the said pegs serving to partially secure theruler to the frame, the ruler being additionally secured to said frameby the eyes 13, carried at the free ends of the elastic bands 14,secured at each end of the ruler, the eyes being made to pass or snapover the projecting buttons 15, disposed along the edges of the terminalmembers of the frame and located substantially in line of the grooves 4.The bands 14, being elastic, are stretched so as to enable the eyes 13to be snapped over the buttons referred to. The bands 14 are themselvessecured to the ruler by passing strips of rubber or similar fabricthrough openings 16 and then sewing the eyes 13 to the ends of the same.Each eye is provided with a strip 17, by which it can be better seized.

WVhen the ruler is not in use, it is temporarily secured to and carriedby the frame, as indicated by the full lines in Fig. 1, the

pegs 11 being inserted in the openings 9 and depressions 10, designedfor their reception,

and the eyes 13 being passed overthe buttons 15.

NVhen it is desired to use the ruler for the purpose of drawing parallellines a a a a, the child removes the ruler from the frame, then insertsthe pegs 11 into the series of openings 5 and depressions 6 to firmlyhold the ruler in place across the frame,the numbered guidelines 8,numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, &c., serving to insure parallelism to the lines athus drawn, and the grooves 4 serving to guide the pegs 11 from oneopening 5 to the next as the child draws the rule along the. frame inthe act of ruling a number of such lines. The object of placing orlocating the pegs 11 along the edge of the rule is for the purpose offacilitating the insertion of the same into the openings 5 or 9, sincebeing along the edge they can better be seen than were they carried ordisposed along the face intermediate of the opposite edges of the ruler.By employing the plates 3 there is less wear on the wooden frame, asconstant drawing of the ruler along the Wooden frame might in timedestroy the regularity and trueness of the grooves 4c and thedepressions 6, communicating therewith. Of course the plates may bedispensed with, and in that case the guide-grooves and the depressions 6may be formed directly in the frame of the slate; and, as seen in themodification in Fig. 5, the depressions 6 may run entirely through theframe, communicating with grooves 4 on each face of the frame member.Under the latter construction the child would be enabled to drawparallel lines on each face of the slate.

In Fig. 1 the dotted position of the rule shows the relative position itoccupies when serving its purpose as a rule. It is apparent, of course,that many minor changes might be made, especially in the means fortemporarily securing the rule to the frame, Without departing from thespirit of my invention. It is to be understood, too, that I do not limitmyself to the nature or kind of material used for making any portion ofmy device.

It is to be understood that it is within the spirit of my invention alsoto omit the frame altogether, forming the several openings ordepressions directlyin the body of the slate.

It is of course obvious that the ruler can be secured along the narrowedge of the slate,

and it is further obvious that the pegs carried by the ruler may bespaced so as to enter suitable depressions in the frame for rulingparallel lines lengthwise of instead of transversely across the slate.Having described my invention, What I claim is- 1. In a combined rulerand slate, a suitable slate, a ruler having suitable pegs disposed alongone of the longitudinal edges of the same, openings formed along oneside of the slate-frame for receiving said pegs and partially securingthe ruler 'to the frame and suitable devices for additionally securingthe opposite ends of the ruler to the slate-frame, substantially as setforth.

2. In a combined ruler and slate, a suitable slate, a frame for thesame, parallel guidegrooves formed along two opposite members of theframe, a series of depressions or openings formed at the base of eachgroove and correspondingly spaced on each side of the frame, transverseguide-lines drawn across the path of the openings, a ruler, and suitablepegs carried along one of the longitudinal edges of the same andseparated by a distance equal to the distance from one depression on oneside of the frame to its corresponding depression on the other side,whereby the pegs of the ruler may be simultaneously guided along thegrooves and properly inserted into the series of depressions along theframe and series of parallel lines drawn with the assistance of therule, substantially as set forth.

3. In a combined ruler and slate, a suitable ruler, pegs projecting fromand disposed along one of the longitudinal edges of the same, suitabledepressions formed in the frame for the reception of the pegs totemporarily and partially secure the ruler to the frame, buttons carriedby the opposite edges of the frame in line with one of the lateralmembers of the frame, elastic bands carried by the ends of the ruler,and eyes secured to the ends of the bands and adapted to be passed overthe buttons to additionally secure the ruler to the frame, substantiallyas set forth.

4. In a combined ruler and slate, a suitable slate, a frame for thesame, plates embedded in two opposite members of the frame and flushwith the surfaces of said members, parallel guide-grooves formed in saidplates, openings formed at the bottom of the guidegrooves, depressionsformed in the frame members communicating with the openings of theplates, guide-lines transversely disposed along each plate and passingthrough or in the path of the openings, the said openings anddepressions adapted to receive the pegs of a suitable ruler,substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

OTTO SCHALLER.

Witnesses:

ALFRED A. MATHEY, EMIL STAREK.

